Daily Archives: December 9, 2009

Pico projectors brought the big screen to small devices in 2009, with iPods, cameras and phones benefiting from the new technology.

Pico projectors exist in their own pocket format or are integrated into the device itself. They reached maturity as products this year, overcoming problems of poor battery life, resolution and luminescence, but they will always suffer from one key weakness. Read more

The first reviews are out on Barnes & Noble’s eReader, the Nook. Like the device itself apparently, they don’t make for pretty reading.

The influential reviewer David Pogue, writing in the New York Times, accuses B&N of rushing the product to market before it is ready and says: “To use the technical term, it’s slower than an anesthetized slug in winter.”

Peter Svensson, AP Technology writer, begins his review equally unpromisingly: “I’ve been trying Barnes & Noble Inc.’s $259 Nook for a few days, and I’m not eager to prolong the acquaintance,” he says. Read more

There was a strained, unreal air today hanging over Silicon Valley’s Rosewood Hotel, the newest addition to the local venture capital enclave on Sand Hill Road.

This was the setting for Tony Perkins’ annual Venture Summit – always one of the best places to check up on the mood of the Valley’s start-up financiers.

What made it unreal was an odd blend of gallows humour and expectant anticipation. Even in the worst of times, these professional optimists can still find something to look forward to: it’s spelled I-P-O. Read more

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About the authors

Richard Waters has headed the FT's San Francisco bureau since 2002 and covers Google and Microsoft, among other things. A former New York bureau chief for the FT, he is intrigued by Silicon Valley's unique financial and business culture, and is looking forward to covering his second Tech Bust.

Chris Nuttall has been online and messing around with computers for more than 25 years. He reported from the FT's San Francisco bureau on semiconductors, video games, consumer electronics and all things interwebby from 2004 to 2013, before returning to London, where he is now lead writer of the #techFT daily newsletter.

Tim Bradshaw is the FT's digital media correspondent, and moved from London to join the team in San Francisco. He has covered start-ups such as Twitter and Spotify, as well as the online ambitions of more established media companies, such as the BBC iPlayer. He also covers personal tech and the advertising, marketing and video-game industries. Tim has been writing about technology, business and finance since 2003.

Hannah Kuchler writes about technology and Silicon Valley from the FT's San Francisco bureau. She covers social media including Facebook and Twitter and the dark and mysterious world of cybersecurity. Hannah has worked for the FT in London, Hong Kong and New York, reporting on everything from British politics to the Chinese internet.